Candy Canes and Gingerbread
by Seizalyn
Summary: [SH, SH:C] One-shots and vignettes. A peek into the hidey-hole of memories, of the most treasured and most forgotten and most remembered instances of their lives. Possible spoilers will be noted. [Update: Jinpachiro Hyuga, end-game SH:C spoilers]
1. Nicolai Conrad: There Is

_Shadow Hearts: Covenant and all its characters are copyright their respective creators._

**Candy Canes and Gingerbread  
01: There Is...  
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**Winter, 1896**

There is nothing and no one and the streets are empty, covered in blankets of white as silver powder fell from the sky. There is no first snowflake landing on shoulders, tasting like minty winter against a backdrop of stone grey and crimson fireplaces.

There is only stifling warmth of closed doors and half-drawn curtains, light wisps trailing from steaming tea in a dainty hand. A murmur, a stare, beyond the silent streets that separated them from the Winter Palace. He knew she fancied hearing laughter filter through its windows, comfort emanate from its walls, celebrations of the solstice decorate its hidden corridors.

There is golden-brown roasted turkey and vermillion wine; but the meat is cold, the bottle is empty, the tea left untouched and the focus turned elsewhere. There had been merriment of the slightest, quietest, most discreet nature; until life and laughter trickled in from across the expansive powder-white courtyard in the form of poisonous memories, and she was overwhelmed.

There is a clinking of moving plates, as small hands cleared the table and packed away the remnants of winter celebrations. They sought to remove the bottle, as her jade eyes watched wearily through steamy glass windows, leaping over the vast courtyard and piercing through the protective palace walls. She fancied she could see everything, and he knew not to disturb her in these moments where her palms were sweaty and fingers were strung together, resting in a mixture of gentle poise and deep anxiety upon her lap.

"Are you expecting anyone, mother?"

There is silence, as she turns unfocused jade eyes upon the smaller face framed by strawberry-blonde hair, so much like her own and nothing like her love's. He waited patiently, experience of an old man floating within a sapling's eyes, small hands holding carefully the plate lest it fall and create a mess.

"Could we wait just a bit longer, sweetheart?"

There is no protest, just a nod, always a nod. He could not say no, even if he wanted to, even if his eight summers' old mind knew what would happen and loathed the future that would happen. With each celebration much like the last, with each winter exactly the same, the pattern had been set and he could not break it. He could only follow, and support, and pray to the heavens and to hell that perhaps, just perhaps, one day, they would finally hear the clickety-clackety sound of horseshoes upon gravel drawing closer to their street, and this eternity would end.

But for now, there is no sound. The streets remains empty, the snow-covered pavement below remain untarnished, and no royal carriages pull up by their apartment and no princely ruler steps out, wool leather boots crinkling upon crystalline snow. There never was nor will there ever be.

There is only the silence of diminishing hope, of building anxieties, of growing heartache as her love never emerged from the Winter Palace, and she never shifted from her vigil, and he merely waited with unending patience for her will to fail and her eyes to fall and the curtains to draw close upon yet another day of waiting.


	2. Veronica Vera: Origin

_Shadow Hearts: Covenant and all its characters are copyright their respective creators._

**Candy Canes and Gingerbread  
02: Origin  
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**Winter, 1892**

Cold winds of winter swept coarsely across Russia's darkened backstreets, engulfing its inhabitants in a cruel chill. Although the season of snow and hail lasted but three months, it might as well have lasted for eternity. The frost never went away - embedded deep into the vermillion marrow of their bones - forever to linger no matter how closely they pressed against the pathetic fire - coal-black smoke rising from burning cloth to water their eyes and poison their lungs.

But they huddled closer anyway, hands outstretched in the vain effort of collecting whatever warmth available, palms held open as burning fireflies drifted into the icy night. One could barely wedge a thumb through the wall of humanity that surrounded the metal barrel -

Yet the frail, skeletal girl in scraggly blonde hair did her best.

He uttered a half-crazed, territorial growl and a large, coarse hand lifted to strike her down. The man mumbled a mixture of expletives through half-missing, half-rotten teeth, about to tear the raggedy thin blanket from her shoulders.

She merely watched with grey-blue eyes, metallic and steely and dead in their gaze, her too-small clothes soaking up the wetness of the pavement.

A roar of flame erupted suddenly, plunging the backalley into shadows and light, throwing him backwards. Cowering old women and shivering large men watched with half-dazed fascination at the writhing form before them, edging closer to this grim source of warmth.

The girl turned towards the streets -

A small figure silhouetted by the setting sun. Glossy brown hair fell delicately around finely-boned features, settling gracefully upon shoulders protected from the cold by rich, shimmering fur. She wore thick make up over her creamy skin, and stood regally with the posture of a queen.

Without a word, the girl picked up the torn blanket, throwing it over her shoulder confidently. "I could've handled that myself."

"There is no need to fool yourself so, child."

Her small nose lifted slightly. "Hmph. How do you think I survived living in this wretched hellhole? By asking for help at every turn?"

"You would have been dead if not for me."

"Hah! That old drunk couldn't hit a wall if he walked into it." Pale blue eyes smirked derisively, the scent of burnt flesh caressing her senses. There was a misplaced confidence about her, a mystifying sense of self, a personal assurance that she was better than street scum and she knew it.

Silence. "...What is your name, child?"

The first sign of hesitance flitted across her features, before she answered quietly, small hand lifting to push matted dirty-blonde hair from her face. Her thin shoulders visibly squared, white skin hardened by life showing through a large patch, drawing herself to a regal height unbefitting her tiny and forlorn stature.

"I am Veronica." Pause. "And you?"

The briefest amusement crossed the flower of Florence's features. "Carla."


	3. Yuri Hyuga: The Night Before

_Shadow Hearts: Covenant and all its characters are copyright their respective creators._

**Candy Canes and Gingerbread  
03: The Night Before  
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**Winter, 1898  
**_"That night was the beginning of everything..." - Yuri Hyuga, Nemeton Monastery_

"Aaaah!"

The beautiful princess cried in terror, as the horrible dragon monster stomped towards her. Covered in glistening scales of deep forest green, it dripped thick blobs of saliva down its snow-splattered brown chest. Majestic horns shot up through its dusty brown mane, skeletal fingers reaching for the grey heavens above them.

"ROWR! GRRR!"

She lifted the flowing hem of her gown, stumbling away in desperation. The ferocious beast lumbered towards her, crimson eyes blazing with the desire for fresh princess-meat. A dainty hand lifted to cover her small mouth when she realised the futility of her escape, dropping to her knees in despair.

"Oh, won't someone save me from this monster?" she cried tearfully.

In that moment, the resounding howl of a wolf echoed throughout the land! Bravery filled her heart; hope lit her chocolate-brown eyes. That howl! That background music! Glorious heavens, her life was saved!

"Hahaha! Fear not, Princess Lihua! Your prince is here to save you!"

With a furious battle cry, the Prince of the Nine Hundred Heavens leapt bravely into the battlefield! Beside him was his trusted hound, howling as it stood by its master in the face of certain death...

Ah, but was it... indeed... certain?

"Certainly not!" the Nineteen Hundred Heavens Prince cried defiantly, lifting his legendary Sword of Truth, Honour and Good Things towards the mocking sky. "Not while I, Prince Liyun, am here to save the day!"

"Uh... Liyun. Who you talkin' to?" The dragon, with its evil crimson eyes, the colour of deep dark apples on a starless midnight, had stopped, placing a sharp claw against its reptilian hip.

"It doesn't matter!" Prince Liyun of the Nineteen Hundred Heavens and Stars bellowed, shaking the blade with heroic anger. The trusted hound barked. "Come at me! And that's _Prince_ Liyun to you, Evil Dragon Yuri!"

Evil Dragon Yuri snorted, venomous breath cruelly melting the fresh snow crushed under its feet, before digging his legs into the ground. With a monstrous howl to the silver-winter sky, he charged at his mortal enemy, ready for the final battle that would determine the fate of all mankind.

"Prince Liyun of the Gazillion Heavens and Suns!" squealed Princess Lihua, not to be forgotten in the foray that would ensue. "Be careful!"

"I will!"

"Hehehe, you won't escape me, Princes - OOMPH!"

_An explosion!_

Tiny snowflakes flew through the icy air, bursting forth from the ground like a fountain of diamonds, as the Evil Dragon Yuri tripped over a strategically-placed piece of wood, falling with an ominous roar! A giant boy-sized crater formed under him; a hole so deep, explorers would one day use it to travel to Russia! Villagers from hundreds of miles away shuddered as tremors shook the very foundations of the earth!

And in the midst of all these wondrous and exciting events, the heroic Prince Liyun stood, bewildered, sword drawn but unused.

The Princess, however, was not as slow to react. "Yuri!"

Princess Lihua sprinted to the fallen dragon, lifting the edges of her dress over the thick snow, as he lay under a light blanket of snowflakes. Numerous leaves scattered around him in a wide circle, remnants of once-glorious green scales.

She skidded to a stop beside the unmoving form, before picking up a fallen branch beside him. Hesitantly, she poked at the dragon's side. "Yuri...?"

Silence. Was it dead?

"MY HORN!"

Evil Dragon Yuri bellowed, realising the danger of his situation! Leaping to his feet, his crimson gaze shifted in horror between the Princess and the Prince, before the partially-hornless dragon dramatically fell to his wet knees. "You stole my horn! Aaaaahh... I feel... weak!"

"Wha? You mean that's your weakness?" Prince Liyun exclaimed, incredulity forcing him to drop his precious wooden sword. The trusted hound echoed its master's confusion with a whine.

The beautiful princess, on the other hand, was ecstatic. "Hooray! I defeated Evil Dragon Yuri!"

Having spent an agonising few minutes enacting an elaborate death scene, creating messy snow angels in the process, nine-year old Yuri stood up to face his eternal rival with a smirk. Grandly, he lifted one hand to point triumphantly at the puzzled Prince Liyun.

"Hohoho! You are... half-right! The REAL weakness is to kill the evil dragon with his own horn!"

"_What!_" Prince Liyun gasped. Then pointed back. "That's stupid."

"Hey!"

"Well, it is! Princes are s'posed to kill dragons, not princesses!" Liyun stomped, gravely unhappy with this preposterous breaking of tradition.

"Maybe Lihua should be the prince then," Yuri countered, defending his ingenious plan to his death. "'Cause she figured it out!"

"Ewww, I don't wanna be a _prince_," Lihua whined, crinkling her nose as her grip tightened on the victorious branch. That would mean being - oh my - a boy!

"Are you kids playing nice?"

At the gentle voice that interrupted the argument, the children turned to find an auburn-haired woman studying them in amusement. Their response was quick and unanimous, backing each other up in the natural, unspoken camaraderie that formed between all children when facing a grown up. "Yes, ma'am."

Liyun glanced sideways at the brunet beside him, before quickly adding, "But, Mrs. Hyuga, Yuri's plan is stupid."

Yuri gasped, his round, muddy face turning pale at the betrayal. "It's not!"

And the battle continued.

Anne Hyuga quirked an eyebrow at the ensuing chaos, her mouth lifting in a smile as she shifted her enormous grocery bag to one arm. Before her son could pounce Liyun in self-righteous anger, and pummel him to oblivion with his tiny fists, her free hand grasped the collar of Yuri's brown shirt, now wet and dripping with melted snow. "Come on now, it's getting late. We have to get home before the storm starts. It's going to be a big one."

All three children ceased their scuffling, looking up at Yuri's mother in surprise. "But Mom, there aren't any big storms in the winter..."

Anne's brows knitted in concern, acknowledging the strangeness of the weather. But the farmers had been positive of the signs, drawing particular attention to the animals, all of which had scurried away in an unexplainable fear. It would be a big one, they said, and she and Yuri had to return home to prepare for the rainfall. "Either way, sweetheart, Liyun and Lihua's mother is heading home right now. She's waiting for them down the road."

The siblings exchanged glances, before grudgingly saying their goodbyes to Yuri. The crimson-eyed child echoed their sentiments, not wanting to be parted so prematurely with his playmates. But as they walked away from him, he was consoled by his mother's arm around his dusty shoulders - her gentle rubbing at the muddy tracks across his cheeks and nose - plucking away at the remaining branch sticking from behind his ear.

"Did you have fun today?"

Nodding enthusiastically, Yuri couldn't stop the huge smile spreading across his face. Lihua was so lucky to have a younger brother to play with! Seven of them, even! She could play with them anytime, even when it rained outside like it would tomorrow. It made the young Hyuga almost envious...

"What's this I hear about a 'stupid plan'?" Anne teased lightly, tapping her son on his smudged nose.

"Hah! Liyun's stupid, that's what..."

Yeah, tomorrow he would talk with Mom about it. A little brother would be great. Many little brothers. That's what he wanted! Then they'd have a huge family, and Mom wouldn't be so lonely when Dad left.

_Or a little sister._

He didn't mind having a little sister, even though a little brother would be easier to wrestle with. Girls couldn't wrestle very well.

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**A/N**: I haven't actually _done_ the Seraphic Radiance sidequest in SH, so all information regarding Yuri's past was gotten from the game script and plot analysis on GameFAQs. Apologies if I made any glaring errors! (such as Lihua actually being a boy, or something equally ghastly...) Comments and criticism are highly appreciated and will be rewarded with Yuri cookies. :D 


	4. Jinpachiro Hyuga: Everyday New Days

_Shadow Hearts: Covenant and all its characters are copyright their respective creators._

**Candy Canes and Gingerbread  
****04: Everyday New Days**

**WARNING:** Contains end-of-game Shadow Hearts: Covenant spoilers for Karin and Yuri.

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**Autumn, 1887**

Every day was a unique day, a special day.

"Kakei-_san_, if you don't remove your hand from my ass this minute -"

That's what they were supposed to be. Every day was a New Day, and he always fought to believe in that, no matter how repetitive his life sometimes seemed. Because everybody went through these episodes in life, only to continue living with it.

"_Yakitori _at Table Three!"

But there would sometimes be Those Days, that were supposed to be Everyday New Days but weren't; days that start off innocently enough until you find mysterious women crumpled on the street, holding a vision of the future in their hands.

"Two _bancha_!"

Somebody yelped as an empty ashtray flew across the compound. Laughter followed, and the hum of activity continued uninterrupted. It was just another Everyday New Day at the local coffee shop, although to call it that was a severe understatement. This was the bastion of intellectuals, the gathering of social wit, the melting pot of opinions on important issues; issues touching on education, on health, on the future of this fair country, on the sales at the supermarket down the street; important issues dear to the hearts of old men hunched over steaming black coffee and housewives clutching overstuffed grocery bags.

"Here you go, Colonel. Just the way you like it," the portly waitress placed a plate piled high with fried mee and steaming vegetables, radiating the scent of chili. Proprietor Toshiki-_san_ nodded briskly at the handsome young man before putting down a second, smaller plate. "And another for the young lady."

The redhead might have nodded, perhaps even whispered something, but it was hard to tell over the clatter of plates and voices. The foreign language may have had something to do with it, too.

Toshiki-_san_ sniffed slightly, throwing her head back and returning to the kitchen, taking yet more orders on the way. Neither of them moved for a while, caught in a bubble of stillness while the rest of Everyday continued to operate around them. The stillness was large and looming, settling comfortably in the uncomfortable expanse of the table, shifting only to allow Colonel Jinpachiro Hyuga space to gesture towards the smaller plate.

"Please, eat. You look exhausted," Jinpachiro offered politely, his expression shifting between concern and uncertainty. It wasn't everyday he dined with such a beautiful young woman.

Even rarer for her to be dressed so risquély in the autumn chill.

Perhaps the rarest part of it all, the most laughable part of it all, was the picture of him, four years in the future, which she had held in her hand!

...Perhaps. He was still deciding.

Amber eyes glanced briefly at the plate, then lowered to look at something else, something invisible to his eye but clearly apparent to her. He almost wanted to ask - What did she see? The boy? Him, six years from now? - but he feared asking anything at this point. Jinpachiro rubbed the back of his neck, more than a little bemused, before taking his pair of wooden chopsticks. Breaking them, he methodically began shifting through his own plate, pushing around the sliced spring onions and fried mee and... was that a prawn?

Well, that was new! Toshiki-_san_ was always so stingy with this precious ingredient, but he finally got one from her! All those smiles and politeness were finally paying off!

Just as he was about to share this wonderful discovery with his dinner guest, Jinpachiro looked up, and the words died before they were formed. She was observing something; shimmering orbs planted firmly upon her target, silently taking in the information presented before her. He shifted, uncrossing his legs self-consciously, one hand lifting to push back his short, coffee-brown hair. She was observing him, and he dropped his chopsticks unceremoniously on the table.

Hmm.

It was hard to explain the amusement of finding a single prawn to an outsider, and this young woman was obviously not a frequent patron. How did you deal with such people, anyway? And he'd thought the army had prepared him for anything! ...Well. He'd certainly have to get back to them on this little episode, now wouldn't he?

Yes, yes he would. He would have to, whether he wanted to or not.

"Don't let the appearance fool you. Their cooking is really very good," Jinpachiro explained, trying a different approach in strained, heavily-accented English. He picked up his chopsticks. "Did you see their sign outside?"

"...'Restaurant Tasty'."

"And they're not lying." Jinpachiro was ecstatic. This woman could speak English! Finally, some progress! "Go ahead, try it. It looks like she gave you some prawns, too." Toshiki-_san_ was certainly being generous today. A certain mark of one of Those Days.

Uncertainty flashed across her features, as she looked around, and a million eyes averted towards their respective rice bowls. Although they tried to keep it discreet, the entire shop was staring at the Colonel and the foreigner; some lecherously, many critically, but most out of characteristic nosiness. Jinpachiro was a common face in this town, but the woman he was with had become a curiosity within minutes of stepping through the door. Certainly, her exotic outfit didn't help their situation any.

Just when he felt the ominous silence threatening to settle once again, she picked up her pair of chopsticks, and in that split second, the sound of breaking wood was the most wonderful sound to his ears. This was good. She was finally reacting to him. It didn't feel like he was speaking to a block of ice anymore... albeit, a block of ice with flaming red hair and intense, beautiful eyes. Her gaze tore through his being easily, seeing things he thought weren't there but felt like it should be, making him shuffle and nervous to the point of forgetting what he was supposed to do.

And there was a lot to be done. Of course there was. Things like this didn't happen, only to be left aside and forgotten. That's why they happened on the more special days, outside of the normal special days.

But as they ate in silence, Jinpachiro found that he wasn't ready to let this woman go anywhere. He didn't even know where he was going to send her! She wasn't a runaway, she wasn't a fugitive; she was just a woman carrying a picture. A picture that really didn't mean anything to anyone except him, and her, and the little boy standing between them.

_"Tch, flüche!"_

At the harsh tone, the swirling mess of emotions and duty- duty to his superiors to turn her in, and to watch as they snatched her away before he could find his answers, before she could actually look at him with something akin to friendliness- readjusted itself into a half-eaten plate of food. The redhead was frowning against the floor. The clatter of chopsticks against raw cement finally registered in his mind, and as she bent to retrieve them, he thought her fingers shook a little. Just a little. Slender fingers that didn't look capable of hurting a fly, yet the fencing sword she carried had certainly been no mere decoration.

...He was an idiot.

"Let me get a new pair for you," Jinpachiro quickly stood up, snatching the tainted chopsticks from the ground. "You wouldn't want to eat from anything that's touched _this_ floor, trust me."

She looked up at him, curiosity mixing into the molten gold of her eyes, sunset-flame hair falling over her face. Jinpachiro thought his heart might've skipped a beat, but it was probably due to the upcoming confrontation with Toshiki-_san_ for a clean pair of chopsticks. The proprietor didn't appreciate people handling her things carelessly, and anyone who had to face her would obviously feel nervous.

Yeah, that was it.

As the Colonel was about to leave for the kitchen, he unbuttoned the thick army coat he'd forgotten to remove. With uncharacteristic nervousness, he gently placed it over the redhead's shoulders, careful not to touch her with his ungloved hands. "You look cold. I'll get you some tea..." A hesitant pause. "You drink tea, don't you?"

Just when he feared another awkward silence would ensure, as he shuffled under her unnerving stare, she smiled and nodded. "Yes... Please."

He smiled back, the reaction strangely natural. One could always rush through Everyday New Days and not miss a thing. But there were some days where you had to take it one step at a time. And Jinpachiro found himself - with the lightness in his heart, and the vision of her first smile firmly engraved in his mind as he marched into the kitchen for a pair of chopsticks and a cup of hot tea - to like Those Days the most.

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**Tiger5913:** I never thanked you for your lovely reviews, have I? -glomps!- Thanks for reading my one-shots, and don't worry about the confusion with Yuri's chapter. I have this bad habit of trying to make things all 'mysterious' until I reach the main part of the fic, at the risk of losing my readers' attention. XD;; Thanks for sticking with it until the end, though! I loved Yuri's simplistic thoughts as a child, and the minute I saw that scene between him and Anne, the fic was just begging to be written. XD Oh, perhaps it's just my browser picking a fight with the site but I can't seem to find The Belated Honeymoon anywhere! Woe! 

**Puffy Tribulation:** Thank you for your feedback, and much like with Tiger, I thank you for re-reading Nicolai's piece after the initial confusion! Very glad you liked it, as you seem to be a Nicolai fan, judging from your other reviews. I'm insanely glad that you gave Veronica's chapter a read-through as well; I've always thought of her as a strong woman, so it's fun to write a backstory for her because, well... much like Nicolai, she has none. So it's fun to make stuff up. XD


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